Obama-Appointed Judge, Trump Administration , Medicaid Data, Undocumented Immigrants, ICE

by Daniel Johnson

March 23, 2025

Trump Administration Guts Civil Rights Agencies Overseeing Immigration Crackdown

Trump administration dismantled three watchdog agencies responsible for overseeing immigration policy.

On March 21, the Trump administration dismantled three watchdog agencies responsible for overseeing immigration policy, aligning with its controversial deportation campaign that has removed people from the United States with minimal due process.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which The New York Times noted has not exactly been forthcoming about the administration’s approach to immigration, the cuts of these civil rights offices were enacted to “streamline oversight to remove roadblocks to enforcement.”

DHS has made widespread layoffs at its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, which is responsible for ensuring the agency upholds individual liberty, fairness, and equality under the law.

DHS also cut staff from two major ombudsman offices. The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, which addresses concerns about the immigration process, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, which allows the public to report issues affecting detained immigrants, were impacted by the layoffs, The Hill reports.

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS’ spokeswoman, added in a statement, “These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining D.H.S.’s mission. Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations.”

Others, like Deborah Fleischaker, a former civil rights worker and chief of staff of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Biden administration, believe that the cuts hide a more menacing agenda from the Trump administration.

“It’s a demonstration of their total contempt for any checks on their power,” Fleischaker said to The New York Times, adding that one of the offices the administration eliminated “endeavored to make the D.H.S. mission work with respect for civil rights, civil liberties and privacy. This is a clear message that those things do not matter to this administration.”

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss), a top member of his party on the Homeland Security Committee, concurred with Fleischaker’s assessment, telling the outlet that the mass layoffs at the DHS were an attempt to establish “that there will be no transparency or oversight of his extreme agenda.”

Elon musk, NAACP, supercomputer, memphis

by Daniel Johnson

March 22, 2025

Elon Musk’s Father Says He Was Friends With ‘Black Servants’ Growing Up

Elon’s portrayal of his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa contrasts with his father's comments and others' accounts of their experiences.

In response to an in-depth article exposing Elon Musk’s shift from once being considered a political moderate to seemingly promoting white supremacist conspiracy theories, his father, Errol Musk, defended him in an emailed statement to The Washington Post, claiming he had Black friends growing up.

The elder Musk has long told a story that his unregistered emerald mining enterprise in Zambia helped to finance his son’s early enterprises, including his move to America, which Elon has denied or downplayed.

Accounts from Elon Musk’s father and others about his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa contradict Musk’s portrayal of his childhood as “tough.”

According to Errol, Elon was not involved in politics back then and had “Black servants who were his friends,” in addition to some Black friends he had made at school.

“They were not into political nonsense, and we lived in a very well-run, law-abiding country with virtually no crime at all. Actually no crime. We had several Black servants who were their friends,” Errol wrote in an email to the Post about Elon and his younger brother.

The outlet also spoke to Rudolph Pienaar, a former classmate of Elon Musk at Pretoria Boys High School in South Africa, who, like Musk, now works in the United States. “We grew up in a bubble of entitlement,” Pienaar said. “I am not sure if Elon can conceive of systematic discrimination and struggle because that’s not his experience. His life now in some ways is how it was under apartheid — rich and entitled with the entire society built to sustain him and his ilk.”

Despite having Black “friends” growing up, Tesla employees have complained of not feeling supported in the workplace.

Nathan Murthy, a Black and Filipino Tesla engineer who was fired in 2020 after leading a racial justice protest in one of Tesla’s factories, told the Post that Musk’s email admonishing employees to accept sincere apologies from jerks in service of being thick-skinned rubbed him the wrong way.

“It felt really dismissive when there was very obvious racial tension,” Murthy told the Washington Post. “Musk was essentially saying, ‘Shut up and go back to work.’ I’ve been trying to raise the alarm on Elon for years.”

Kamala Harris, security clearance, Trump, Joe Biden

by Mary Spiller

March 22, 2025

Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, And Others Have Security Clearances Revoked By Trump

Trump released the names in a White House memo, revoking the listed parties from accessing classified information.

President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearances of his political opponents Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, Liz Cheney, and several others, according to a White House memo released on March 21.

The memo from the White House at President Trump’s behest read: “I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information: Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family.”

This move is atypical for inaugurated Presidents, as it’s standard to allow for former presidents and top security officials to keep their security clearance from their position as a courtesy for their service.

Trump’s memo continued, “This action includes, but is not limited to, receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the intelligence community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress.”

While several figures on the list feel the symbolic impact of being removed from the clearance list, others could face more extensive impacts regarding their occupations.

Notably, the lawyers and high-powered prosecutors named on Trump’s list will have to contend with roadblocks in accessing information about some of their federal cases with high-level clients.

As reported by BBC, the majority of the renovations on President Trump’s list are former President Joe Biden’s administration officials and those who opposed his run for the presidency.

Despite the changes, several individuals on the White House list, such as Zaid and Eisen, dismissed the act. They stated that this is not the first time they’ve had their security clearances revoked, while Kinzinger called Trump a “dumba**” as he “retired a year ago from the military” and no longer has clearance anyway.

RELATED CONTENT: The Business of National Security

Boosie, Boosie Bash, Calib Wilson, Southern University

by Daniel Johnson

March 22, 2025

Boosie Honors Southern University Hazing Victim Caleb Wilson With Scholarship At Boosie Bash

Boosie said he wanted to do something to honor Wilson's memory.

A scholarship honoring the late Southern University student and band member Caleb Wilson, who died after collapsing during an Omega Psi Psi ritual in February, is to be unveiled during the sixth annual Boosie Bash Festival on the campus of Southern University this weekend.

According to Louisiana First News, Boosie, the Baton Rouge-born rapper, partnered with the Southern University Marching Band (otherwise known as The Human Jukebox) to offer a scholarship to an incoming freshman who needs to be a resident of New Orleans and a future member of the band to qualify.

Boosie mentioned to the outlet that Wilson’s father played a prominent role in making this year’s Boosie Bash possible before noting that he wanted to use his platform to bring attention to what happened to Wilson while also spreading positivity to the community.

“We’re just trying to lift some people up and give some notoriety on what happened… but we’re definitely in support,” Boosie told Louisiana First News.

Performers at the Boosie Bash Festival on March 22 are set to include GloRilla, Sexyy Red, DaBaby, Snug, BG, Big Boogie, Level, BJ So Cole, Ratchet Lo, and Supa Big King, as well as Boosie himself.

According to Power 98, a portion of the funds raised at the festival will go toward the scholarship. Boosie also told WBRZ that what happened to Wilson almost derailed the event, but he wanted to do something to honor his memory.

“This incident almost stopped the Boosie Bash…We’re going to do something special for him, because that’s a life lost too short,” Boosie told WBRZ. “I just want to make it right.”

Caleb Wilson’s death, which has reignited discussions around hazing and the idea of violence visited on young men disguised as tradition, was recently discussed by Byron Hurt, the director of a 2022 documentary titled “Hazing,” with The Grio.

“There are more layers to the culture of hazing than there are in white organizations. White organizations, they don’t have the same cultural background and cultural history that we have as Black people in America,” Hurt said. “They haven’t experienced a level of oppression, pain, trauma, victimization, violence, and so those things, those traumas, get passed down from generation to generation.”

“There is a good case to be made about activities in which people have to earn their way into the organization, but those activities don’t have to be violent at all,” Hurt told the outlet before making the point that instead of violence, activities should center around capitalizing “on the talents and the gifts that individuals are bringing.”

Costco, DEI, Black Women Roundtable, buycott

by Mary Spiller

March 22, 2025

Black Women In Virginia Flex Buying Power With Massive Costco ‘Buycott’

Members of the Black Women’s Roundtable organized the shopping venture at Costco, which has stood fast in maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Over 100 Black women from across the United States gathered at Costco in Arlington, Virginia, to stage a “buycott” and show the power of Black buyers. On March 15, members of the Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) supported a corporation that has stood fast in maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The act of collective action is the first from the BWR since President Trump signed multiple executive orders to eliminate DEI initiatives in the public and federal sectors earlier this year.

The BWR Costco buycott was led by Melanie L. Campbell, a civil rights leader who is president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable.

She told Afro News, “The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Black Women’s Roundtable values companies that value diversity, and Costco’s recent actions to preserve their diversity initiatives prove they care about all of their customers. Corporations and businesses should not ask for Black patrons while failing to support employees of color.”

The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation is a group that has continually shown its dedication to advocating for the rights of Black communities through empowerment initiatives and programs. Campbell and the NCBCP have continued to work to ensure “equal representation, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and the protection of voting rights for all.”

The BWR’s Costco buycott was part of its Power National Summit, which focuses on teaching people strategies to empower Black women to overcome systemic barriers in their everyday lives. It showed all companies that have pulled back on their DEI initiatives how much power Black people have in their pockets. As previously reported by Nielsen, in the United States, Black consumers hold around $2 trillion in spending power, and Black women have been hailed as having large impacts on trends of consumer behavior.

The BWR Costco buycott showed other corporations the scope of that power when they support Black consumers versus when they show that DEI initiatives don’t matter to them.

In February, civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton led a similar buy-in at a Costco in New Jersey.

by Mary Spiller

March 22, 2025

New Yorkers Line Up For Free Eggs Given Out By Black-Owned FarmerJawn Amid Skyrocketing Prices

New Yorkers lined up an hour before the giveaway began for a chance to get a free carton of eggs that were completely gone in less than 10 minutes.

On March 21, New Yorkers lined up in droves across three different city sites for a chance to receive a dozen free eggs. With the steady rise of inflation, egg prices hit a record high under the Trump administration. People did their best to bundle up against the cold to get their hands on one of 100 cartons of free eggs, which were gone in less than 10 minutes. The giveaway was hosted by FarmerJawn in Harlem, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Jackeline Tejava told the Associated Press, “I heard from the news that they will be giving around, like, 1,500 eggs, or something like that. OK? And I just came because I needed some eggs, and then I’m waiting here in the line, and I don’t see anything.” Tejava was in a line that stretched around the block. She added, “They say that the eggs are gone, but there haven’t been even more than 20 people, so I don’t know what happened.”

A bird flu outbreak has forced poultry farmers across the United States to slaughter over 168 million birds, causing the price and scarcity of eggs to rise in big cities like New York. It’s made organizations like FarmerJawn even more important.

FarmerJawn, a Black-owned 128-acre farm in Pennsylvania, backed the egg giveaway. Its mission is to provide affordable organic food to underserved communities. This isn’t the first time they handed out free cartons in New York. To bring the giveaway to life, it partnered with a local butchery and a New York farm upstate to assist in the day’s events.

FarnerJawn founder Christa Barfield said, “We’re doing this egg giveaway because, as food producers, we believe it’s our responsibility to support the communities that support us.”

“Food is medicine, and everyone — especially the often-forgotten middle class — deserves access to it,” she continued.

Outside of FarmerJawn, other organizations have followed their lead and held egg giveaways in New York and other big cities, like Las Vegas and Chicago. The Department of Agriculture reported that egg prices are expected to rise 41% this year over last year’s average of $3.17 per dozen. Currently, a carton of eggs in New York can cost two or three times that amount, depending on the store’s location.

by Daniel Johnson

March 22, 2025

Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, And Venezuelans At Risk Of Deportation As Trump Revokes Temporary Legal Status

530,000 legal immigrants may be deported.

The Trump administration will officially revoke the temporary legal status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans in the United States on April 24, a move that could potentially make over half a million migrants vulnerable to deportation.

According to Reuters, although the Trump administration’s move to strip them of their legal status does not take effect until April, it will be published in the Federal Register on March 24, and it represents the latest move in Trump’s aggressive approach to immigration.

CBS News reports that the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will seek to arrest and deport individuals subject to the policy change if they do not leave the country within the next 30 days, but the department also indicated that it could deport individuals who arrived in the United States under the Biden-era program before the 30 days are up. The DHS urges migrants to use the CBP Home smartphone app to self-register for deportation.

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the DHS, said in a statement that Biden’s program “loosely vetted” migrants and advocated that rescinding the program is a return to common-sense immigration policy.

“The termination of the CHNV parole programs, and the termination of parole for those who exploited it, is a return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First,” McLaughlin said.

As The New York Times reports, the Trump administration’s policies have seen officials at the United States border utilize a more aggressive approach beyond illegal immigration, and border patrol agents seem to be targeting legal immigrants who the Trump administration believes to have expressed views that threaten national security or undermine foreign policy.

This has raised concerns for those who believe the administration could be trampling on the right to free speech in the name of enhancing security, as former Customs and Border Protection commissioner Gil Kerlikowske told the outlet.

“Whether it’s speech and criticism, green cards, they’re really taking it to a whole new level…it’s déjà vu all over again on steroids,” he told the Times, in reference to the first Trump administration’s approach to immigration.

According to The Guardian, this aggressive approach to immigration is reflected in the ordeal of a 31-year-old Gambian student at Cornell University, Momodou Taal.

Taal, who holds dual citizenship in Gambia and the United Kingdom, was asked to surrender to immigration officials days after he sued the Trump administration in protest of Trump’s order targeting foreign students who had been accused of “antisemitism.”

Per a statement from one of Taal’s lawyers, whom The Guardian identified as Eric Lee, this development should set off alarms for anyone concerned with freedom and democracy in the United States of America.

“Lawyers at the so-called Justice Department made this request to his attorneys within hours of us having asked the court to stop them from doing precisely that,” Lee told The Guardian. “It’s very difficult to explain how unprecedented this is. This is something that should shock everybody. The most fundamental right in a democracy is the right to seek redress for grievances against the government. God knows where they would send [Taal], simply because he decided to access the federal courts with American citizen colleagues to challenge whether what Trump is doing is legal or not.”

by Mary Spiller

March 22, 2025

‘Rumble In The Jungle’ Boxing Legend George Foreman Dies At 76

Outside of boxing, Foreman later became known for the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine.

Olympic gold medalist and two-time world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman has died. Known for his rivalry with Muhammad Ali in the “Rumble in the Jungle” title bout, Foreman was honored with a heartfelt post on his social media after dying at 76 on March 21.

The Instagram post begins, “Our hearts are broken. With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. A devout preacher, a devoted husband, a loving father, and a proud grand and great grandfather, he lived a life marked by unwavering faith, humility, and purpose.”

The post is accompanied by a photo of Foreman and his family.

“A humanitarian, an Olympian, and two-time heavyweight champion of the world, He was deeply respected — a force for good, a man of discipline, conviction, and a protector of his legacy, fighting tirelessly to preserve his good name— for his family,” the caption continues.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers, and kindly ask for privacy as we honor the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own,” the Foreman tribute concludes.

Growing up impoverished, Foreman was one of seven children. According to CNN, he was raised in the Fifth Ward of Houston and dropped out of high school before pursuing his boxing dreams.

Known as one of the most powerful punchers in all of boxing history, Foreman became infamous after he won an Olympic gold in only his 25th amateur fight. The fight saw the defeat of another boxing legend, Joe Frazier, before he went on to win the heavyweight title twice.

In 1974, Foreman fought Muhammad Ali in his most famous fight. The “Rumble in the Jungle” took place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, now known as Zaire.

Not only was Foreman a boxing legend and Olympic gold medalist, but he also became an entrepreneur later in life. He created the “George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine” in 1994, and the product was so successful that it sold over 100 million units worldwide.

Foreman finally retired from boxing in 1997 with an impressive career record of 76 wins –68 of which were undisputed by KO–and only five losses.

State courts to consider blocking Trump from 2024 ballot under the ‘insurrection’ clause

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 22, 2025

Women And People Of Color Left Vulnerable As Trump Reverses 1965 Workforce Protections

Trump's reversal of a 1965 executive order signed by Lyndon B. Johnson could lead to an increase in workforce barriers for women and people of color.

Donald Trump’s reversal of a 1965 executive order signed by Lyndon B. Johnson could lead to an increase in workforce barriers for women and people of color.

On his second day in office, President Trump revoked EO 11246 as part of his broader executive order targeting DEI initiatives. The order had mandated federal contractors to identify and address employment barriers, particularly for women and people of color.

NPR reports that the executive order played a pivotal role in helping women like Lauren Sugerman secure jobs with companies that previously might not have considered them. In 1980, Sugerman was hired by a company awarded a federal contract to maintain and repair elevators for the Chicago Housing Authority. Thanks to LBJ’s executive order, signed 15 years earlier, the company was required to make an effort to recruit women and people of color.

Now, Sugerman is mourning the end of the executive order as part of Trump’s dismantling of what he has labeled as the illegal use of “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences” under the guise of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. She now wonders if the small gains women have made in the construction trades since the 1980s will simply disappear.

“It is a huge loss to have what’s happening now,” Sugerman says.

As part of Trump’s Executive Order 14173, the government office responsible for enforcing LBJ’s 1965 executive order was instructed to “immediately cease.” The Labor Department is now expected to largely dismantle the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), as its primary function is no longer required.

The termination of EO 11246 is particularly impactful, as companies that work with the government employ one in every five workers in the U.S., according to Jenny Yang, who led the OFCCP during the Biden administration.

“Not all companies are willing to look under the hood voluntarily to see whether they have a problem,” Yang said.

Wendy Pollack, a co-founder of Chicago Women in Trades and now a lawyer at the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, warns that the repeal of EO 11246 will create a dire situation for women and people of color. Having started her career as a carpenter, Pollack faced resistance on the job but developed a mantra that helped her persevere.

“You know, I might not change your hearts and minds, but at least I have the law on my side,” Pollack told herself.

However, that may no longer be the case with Trump’s reversal of civil rights protections in the workforce.

Alpha Kappa Alpha, For Members Only, period, poverty

by Jeroslyn JoVonn

March 22, 2025

Old Dominion Honors Legacy Of The Divine Nine With On-Campus Monuments

Old Dominion University has installed monuments on campus to honor the Divine Nine.

Old Dominion University is paying tribute to the Divine Nine with the installation of dedicated monuments for each of the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities.

Student Government President Zaria Gassaway, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., spearheaded the initiative to bring the monument series to campus. The series aims to honor the history and legacy of the Divine Nine at the minority-serving institution.

“I’m very passionate about everything,” Gassaway told WTKR. “It is something that needs to be on ODU’s campus. We’re a minority-serving institution and it feels only right to ensure that minorities are recognized and seen on campus.”

The effort was student-led, with Dean of Students Dr. Vicki Williams sharing how they approached ODU President Brian Hemphill, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, to gain his approval and permission to proceed with the project. Given the Divine Nine’s legacy, established in 1906 to foster fellowship within the Black community during an era of discrimination on college campuses, it felt like the perfect way to honor these organizations despite Old Dominion being a predominately white institution (PWI).

“Divine Nine communities have been a part of the social footprint for over 100 plus years,” Dr. Williams, who also serves as the vice president for Engagement, said.

“I think this represents not only what this means to the Divine Nine community, but I also believe that it speaks to the commitment that the president has in terms of meeting student needs.”

It was two years in the making, but the monuments were unveiled on the Williamsburg Lawn during Homecoming 2024. Gassaway is happy she was around to see the project she started get completed.

“It was definitely a long road to get here,” Gassaway said. “Sometimes we had to put it down, pick it back up, and start over. It’s a project that I started during my first term as president and now as a third term — being able to see it before I walk out and graduate means a lot.”

Dr. Williams believes the monuments will help students feel represented within the Old Dominion community. Gassaway thinks they serve as visual inspiration to those interested in joining the Divine Nine.

“For our students who may not be a part of it, this encourages them to either become involved or ensure that their concerns, wants, and needs are heard and implemented on campus as well,” Gassaway said.